


Crossover

by kitlee625, Sarahastro



Series: The Darkest Timeline [4]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-05
Updated: 2014-05-12
Packaged: 2018-01-18 06:53:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1418950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitlee625/pseuds/kitlee625, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarahastro/pseuds/Sarahastro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Coulson and May's children from an alternate universe unexpectedly arrive in our universe, the team must help reunite them with their real parents.</p><p>Takes place after <i>Persons of Interest</i> and <i>Off the Grid</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired by the Mirror Universe episodes of Star Trek and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. We desperately wanted to rescue Phil and Melinda from The Fridge, but we couldn’t figure out how the kids could do it without some outside help, and so this rather strange idea was born.
> 
> Also, keep in mind that there are two versions of every character except for the kids. To keep things clear, we will always refer to the versions of Phil Coulson and Melinda May from the Darkest Timeline as Phil and Melinda or Mr. and Mrs. Coulson, and we will always refer to the versions from the regular universe as Coulson and May. For the rest of the characters, if we refer to them as “the other ____”, that means they are from the Darkest Timeline.
> 
> The backstory for Coulson and May in the regular universe is described in _Fast Car_.
> 
> We started writing this story before we had seen the Fridge, so our version is not consistent with the version seen on the show.

When the light fades, Emily blinks around in confusion. There are in a lab, but it is completely different, much smaller and she can hear the hum of an engine. She looks around for her brothers and is relieved to see that they are nearby, confused but unharmed.

The only other people in the room are two scientists, who are staring at them with confused expressions. Emily recognizes them as the people who had yelled at them just before the blue light engulfed them, although they seem to be wearing different clothes.

The man reacts first. “How did you -”

Before he can finish, Jake steps forward and knocks him out with one punch to the head. Emily does the same to the girl.

“Now what?” Jake asks.

“Hey guys, what was that?”

The three turn to look at the intruder, and Steve’s face breaks into a smile. “Skye!”

“What are you doing here?” Jake asks.

Skye stares at them. “What am I doing here? What are you doing here? How did you even get here? And who are you? How do you know my name?”

“FitzSimmons, what’s going on down here?” Coulson asks as he enters the lab.

A dozen emotions run over the kids’ faces as they stare at him in shock. Then Steve runs forward and throws himself around Coulson’s waist. “Dad! You’re alive!”

“Where’s Mom? We have to get you guys out of here,” Jake says.

Coulson stares at them uncomprehendingly and backs away from Steve. “Who are you? And how did you get here?”

The lack of recognition sends a chill down Emily’s spine. She grabs her brother and pulls him away. “Get away from him, Steve.”

Jake stares at Coulson. “What did they do to you?”

“Who’s your mother? And why do you think I’m your father?” He glances around. “What did you do to FitzSimmons?”

“Did they brainwash you? Or are you a Life Model Decoy?” Jake asks.

“Where’s our real father?” Emily asks.

“Guys, guys, everybody relax,” Skye says. “We need to figure out what’s going on.”

“Where are our parents?” Jake asks. “Phil and Melinda Coulson. What did you do to them?”

Coulson gets a strange look on his face, then hits the wall intercom. “May, can you come down to the lab? Now.”

When she gets there, with Ward close behind her, Steve yells, “Mom!” Only his sister’s hand on his arm prevents him from running to her.

“She’s wearing a S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform, Steve,” Emily says. “That is not our mom.”

“Who are you people?” Jake asks.

“I’m Agent Phil Coulson. These are Agent Melinda May, Agent Grant Ward, and Skye. Now, I’d like to know your names.”

The children exchange a terrified look. Finally the girl says, “I’m Emily Coulson, and these are my brothers Jake and Steve.”

“Oh my god. What is going on here?” Skye asks.

“I’m not sure,” Coulson says, “but we’ll need FitzSimmons’ help to find out.” He looks at them, then back at the children. “What did you do to them?”

“Knocked them out,” Jake says, “just like our mom taught us.”

“And your mom is Melinda May?” Skye asks.

“Yes,” Emily says, “but she’s Melinda Coulson now.”

Coulson and May exchange a look.

“We’ll have to wait for FitzSimmons to wake up,” Coulson says. “Until then, we need to keep you three contained.”

“We’re not going to let you lock us up,” Jake says. “I know how S.H.I.E.L.D. operates. You’ll stick us in a windowless box for days until we crack.” He takes a defensive stance as if preparing to fight all of them at once.

Coulson had been planning to stick them in the interrogation room, but the looks of terror on the children’s faces makes him pause. “We can keep you in the lab for now,” he says. “But we need some answers. How did you get here? And where did you come from?”

“We don’t even know where we are,” Emily says. “The last thing we remember, we were in a S.H.I.E.L.D. lab. We saw those two -” She gestures towards FitzSimmons. “- standing next to a machine that was filled with this blue light - ”

“Like the portal in Stargate,” Steve interrupts.

“We were sucked towards it, and then we were here.”

“Where is this S.H.I.E.L.D. lab?”

The children exchange looks. Then Emily says, “The Fridge.”

Coulson raises his eyebrows. “How did you get in there?”

“We have connections,” Jake says.

“Why would you want to break into The Fridge?” Skye asks.

“Our parents are being held there. We’ve been looking for them for months, and we eventually heard that they were there.” Emily gives them a careful look. “They look just like you two. Phil and Melinda Coulson.”

Steve gives them a look that is both hopeful and pleading. The older two look more wary, and Coulson notes that Emily is still holding onto her little brother, presumably so that he does not attempt to hug either of them again. Jake pulls his wallet out of his pocket and removes a photograph. It has been folded in several places in order to fit, but despite the creases it is easy to make out the three children, a few years younger than they are now, and their parents. Coulson and May examine it and exchange a look.

Skye goes over and peers at it over Coulson’s shoulder. “It’s you guys.” Or at least two people who look exactly like them. It is strange to see them wearing casual clothes and smiling.

“You really don’t remember us?” Emily asks.

Coulson shakes his head. “Agent May and I have never been married, and we don’t have any children.”

*****

“The DNA confirms it,” Simmons says. “These three are your biological children.”

“That’s impossible,” Coulson says.

“I might have an explanation,” Fitz says. “I’m reading a residual energy signature in the lab very similar to the Tesseract. It could mean that these three came here through some kind of portal.”

“From where? Another dimension?”

“More likely an alternate universe. In quantum mechanics, the many worlds hypothesis says all possibilities exist somewhere in the multiverse.”

Jake stares warily at them. “So you’re alternate versions of our parents, but in this universe you never married or had us, and you’re S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.” His voice is dripping with disgust.

“What do you know about S.H.I.E.L.D.?” Coulson asks.

Jake glares at him. “I know that they’re a fascist, totalitarian government agency that’s taken total control over our lives and stripped us of our basic rights.” Emily pats him on the arm to try to calm him down.

Skye starts laughing. “Oh my god, Coulson and May’s son is a mini-Skye.” Coulson, May, and the boy all glare at her. He bears a stronger resemblance to them now that they all have the same annoyed expression.

“S.H.I.E.L.D. -” he begins, but Emily cuts him off.

“After the Battle of New York, S.H.I.E.L.D. basically declared martial law. They’re detaining citizens indefinitely with no cause, no trial, and no hope of release. A year ago, they took our parents, and we never saw them again. That’s why we had to go off the grid.”

Jake says, “They’re just regular boring parents. Dad works in an office, and Mom stays home with us.”

Simmons tries to hide a snicker behind and cough, but Fitz is not so successful. “May is just a housewife?”

“She used to be a secretary before I was born,” Emily says.

Steve looks offended. “She’s not just a housewife. She’s our mom. She takes care of us and Dad, and she teaches us stuff.”

“Can we send them back?” Coulson asks Fitz.

“I’m not sure. I’d need to use the scans to recreate the energy source that opened the portal.”

“Get on it.”

“Are you going to tell S.H.I.E.L.D. about us?” Emily asks. Steve grips her hand with a terrified look on his face.

“I have to. They need to know about this technology.”

“You can’t,” Steve says. “They’ll lock us up in The Fridge like Mom and Dad.”

Jake looks angry. “We’re already being detained by S.H.I.E.L.D. We’re surrounded by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in god knows where.”

“We’re not going to lock you in interrogation,” Coulson says. “You’re free to explore the plane.”

“Are you guys hungry?” Skye asks.

“I’m starving,” Steve says. “Is there food here?”

“Plenty. Let’s go to the gallery, and we can get something to eat.”

Skye leads them to the galley while FitzSimmons examine the residual energy signature in the lab, and Coulson and May talk privately. Ward trails after them as if he does not completely trust them alone in the plane with Skye.

Skye rolls her eyes. “It’s fine, Ward. They’re just kids.”

“Kids who somehow broke into The Fridge,” Ward says. “We don’t know what they’re capable of.”

“Relax, G-man,” Jake says. “We’re not going to hijack your precious plane. All we care about is rescuing our parents.”

“Ignore him. You’re not our prisoners, you’re our guests. Now what do you guys like to eat?” Skye asks. “We have some stuff for sandwiches, and a few other things.” She opens the fridge. Everyone on the bus submits lists of groceries whenever they are resupplied. She does not have much food on board - just milk, apples, and boxes of cereal. She figures that Coulson and Simmons will not mind them eating some of their food, so she digs through their boxes as well. “There’s cereal, milk, apples, eggs, some cheese, hot dogs…”

“I love hot dogs. And grilled cheese sandwiches. Dad has this trick where he can make grilled cheese sandwiches in the toaster,” Steve says.

Skye smiles. Some things seem to be true in both universes. “Okay, grilled cheese and hot dogs it is.”

Steve volunteers to make the sandwiches while Skye cooks the hot dogs in the microwave. “Sorry this isn’t the fanciest meal. I don’t have a lot of food on board. Mostly I eat cereal.”

“It’s okay. This is great. It’s been a long time since we had a hot meal,” Emily says.

“So how do you guys know me?” Skye asks. “Have we met in your universe?”

Jake nods. “After our parents were taken, I got in touch with this group of hacktivists, The Rising Tide. At first we just corresponded online, but eventually we met up and traveled together for a while.”

“We haven’t seen her in months,” Emily says. “After she helped us get the information we needed to break into The Fridge, she left to go to L.A. But we know she’s okay because we can still hear her broadcasts.”

Skye is amused to hear what her counterpart is doing in the other universe. “Well I’m glad the other me could help you guys break into The Fridge. I don’t think that’s ever happened before here.”

Steve shakes his head proudly. “Not in our universe either. We’re going to be the first to break people out.”

Ward gives Skye a dubious look, but neither of them say anything.

*****

While FitzSimmons work in the lab, Coulson and May talk in the cargo bay. “What do you think?” he asks her.

“DNA doesn’t lie,” May says.

“Children from an alternate universe.” Coulson shakes his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe in any universe I convinced you to marry me, quit your job, and have three children.”

May shrugs. “I have three brothers. If you’re going to have children, it makes sense to have a bunch.”

“I wonder how much is the same between our universes,” he says. “The girl said she’s nineteen, so she was born in, what, 1994? We were on the MCU in 1993.” He gives her a look. “Were you ever -?”

She gives him a withering look. “No. I was careful.”

“Still, that’s probably not a coincidence.”

“What are you going to tell S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

“I’m not sure. Nothing yet. Not until we know more about what’s going on.”

May looks like she disapproves but says nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

The kids are playing Upwords in the lounge with Simmons and Skye when Emily notices a delicious smell coming from the galley. Her stomach rumbles. Even though it has only been a couple of hours since they ate the sandwiches and hot dogs, she is hungry again, and by the look on her brothers’ faces, they are too. None of them know how to mention it though. Skye and Simmons are being so friendly, and they do not want to alienate them by seeming needy or demanding.

Finally Simmons also notices the smell. “Mmm. Something smells good. I wonder who’s cooking.”

Skye looks at the Coulsons, who are trying not to drool. “Yeah, and if they made enough to share.”

May emerges from the galley carrying a large pot. She sets it on the table without a word, then walks back to the cockpit before they can say anything.

Steve smiles broadly when he sees her, but the smile turns into a sad frown when she walks away without even looking at him.

“It’s not you. She’s always like that,” Skye says. She looks into the pot. Inside there are piles of vegetables, rice, and chicken. 

“I didn’t know she could cook,” Simmons says.

“Mom is a really good cook,” Steve says.

“Well it certainly smells delicious. I’ll get some bowls and forks,” Simmons says.

Steve looks back towards the cockpit where May disappeared. “She looks so sad. We should see if she wants to join us.”

“Stay away from her, Steve,” Jake says fiercely. “That woman is not Mom. She’s nothing like her. Our mom is warm and happy, and she loves us and Dad more than anything.”

Skye cannot imagine those words describing any version of May. As they eat, she asks, “What are your parents like?”

“Regular parents, I guess. Dad tells corny dad jokes, and he’s very sentimental. He’s always talking about how much he loves us and Mom, how lucky he is that she married him,” Emily says. “Mom isn’t as mushy as Dad, but she really loves him too. We’re always catching them kissing in the kitchen. And she looks so happy to see him when he comes home from work every day.”

“Men are always hitting on Mom, but she says she could never love someone like she loves Dad,” Steve says. 

“Men hit on your mom in front of you?” Skye asks.

Jake rolls his eyes. “Teachers, coaches, other dads, men at the grocery store…”

“Our mom is the prettiest mom,” Steve says proudly.

Emily looks wistfully towards the cockpit. “It’s strange meeting versions of our parents who don’t feel that way about each other.”

“I wonder where the universes diverged,” Simmons mused. “Were your parents ever even a part of S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

“Our parents would never join an organization like S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Jake insists.

Emily, though, says, “I don’t know. Maybe. It would explain a few things.”

“Like what?” Skye asks.

“Like how Mom knows how to fight, and how Dad knows so much about guns.”

“Mom and Dad don’t even like to travel,” Jake says. “We hardly ever even left California.”

Emily smiles. “Our parents used to love going to this place in Napa Valley. I can’t remember the name, but it’s this cute little town surrounded by vineyards. They said it was where they fell in love. They used to go back sometimes for their anniversary.” She looks at her brothers. “Come on, what’s it called? We’ve been there.”

Jake and Steve shake their heads. “You’re the only one who pays attention to that mushy stuff,” Steve says.

“They took us hiking in this redwood forest,” Emily says. “It was so pretty. I wish I could remember the name.”

“Calistoga.” Everyone turns to see May standing at the edge of lounge area. Her expression is wistful and a little sad.

Coulson is standing next to her. “We took a trip there once, in this universe.”

“So you were a couple,” Skye says.

“A long time ago. We started having an affair when we were working together on an MCU,” he says, “but we ended it when it interfered with our work.”

“Our parents met in college,” Jake says. “They went to Ohio State, and they started dating when they worked in the same office in DC.”

Coulson and May exchange a look. “May went to Ohio State,” Coulson says, “but I didn’t. I didn’t go to college. I was in the army.”

“When I first joined S.H.I.E.L.D., I told my parents I worked in an office in DC,” May says.

Jake looks furious. “Our parents weren’t in S.H.I.E.L.D. They’re just regular parents who have regular lives and love their kids and each other. They’re not heartless S.H.I.E.L.D. robots like you two.” He gets up and storms out of the lounge.

Emily looks apologetically at Coulson and May. “My brother has always had a temper,” she says.

Steve looks upset too, although he appears more hurt than angry. “So our parents really were in S.H.I.E.L.D.? They lied to us all these years?”

None of the team know what to say, but luckily Emily steps in.

“Probably,” Emily says, “but it wasn’t all lies. Dad said that his life started when he married Mom and we were born. Neither of them liked to talk about what happened before that. I guess now we know why.”

Steve looks at Coulson and May a bit more warily now, like he finally sees that they are not his parents.

Emily says, “Before all of this, we were just a normal, happy family. It’s a lot to take in.”

Coulson clears his throat and says, “Would you like to see the rest of the plane?”

“Do you have any collectibles?” Steve asks. “My dad loves collecting stuff.”

“His office is full of old stuff,” Skye says.

“Dad likes Captain America and baseball,” Steve says. “My brother cheers for Oakland, I think mostly to annoy Dad, but Dad and I cheer for the Red Sox.”

“I like the Red Sox too,” Coulson says. “But my office mostly has old S.H.I.E.L.D. memorabilia.”

“Okay.” Steve jumps up and follows Coulson out of the lounge.

Once they are gone, Emily says, “Sorry about Steve. I know he’s a little clingy.”

“He’s sweet,” Skye says.

Simmons nods in agreement, but May looks very uncomfortable, so Emily adds, “Our parents disappeared when he was only twelve. It’s been really hard on him. He just has Jake and me now. He knows you two aren’t our parents, but it’s still comforting. I mean, you look just like them. You talk like them too, sometimes, and you give each other those looks like you’re reading each other’s minds. You even make the same kind of food that our mom makes.”

“My mother taught me to cook,” May says.

“Grandmother taught me to cook too, although I’m not as good as my mom. She said my brothers didn’t have to learn, though, because they’re boys.”

May rolls her eyes. “My mother said the same thing to me.”

“What exactly do you do for S.H.I.E.L.D.?” Emily asks.

May is not quite sure how to answer her. “I fly the plane. I’m a specialist. I was trained in extraction.”

“Extraction?”

“Getting people out of bad situations.”

“Agent May is one of the best,” Skye says.

“I guess that explains why Mom knows martial arts,” Emily says. “I never understood why my mom wanted to give up her job to stay home with us. I used to tell her that I wasn’t going to live a boring life in the suburbs. I was going to have a career and see the world. But I guess she used to do all those things in her other life.”

“I thought the same thing about my mother,” May says. Truthfully, she cannot imagine quitting S.H.I.E.L.D. to stay home and raise Coulson’s children, but she says, “Your mother must really love you.”

“She does. She’s a good mom. I hope she and Dad are okay.”

*****

When Ward goes down to the cargo bay, he finds Jake taking out his frustrations on the punching bag.

“Nice form.”

Jake does not look up. “My mom taught me.” He hits the bag angrily. “She wanted us to be able to protect ourselves from people like you.” Ward goes to steady the bag, but Jake glares at him. “Get away from me.”

Ward backs off a bit and watches silently.

Jake says, “A year ago, I was detained and questioned by a guy like you. When I got home, my sister told me I’d been gone for five days. She said Dad came to get me on the third day, but they just locked him up too. Now my parents are being held by guys like you, asking them questions, maybe torturing them. And for what? What did they ever do to S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

“If they really were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents before you were born, they may have information from an old mission that S.H.I.E.L.D. is after. Or maybe it’s just because they were agents that S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to keep an eye on people with their skills. Either way, it isn’t your fault.”

Jake delivers a swift kick to the bag. “Yes it is. My dad said that I had to be careful. For me, for my brother and sister. I ignored him. I said that I was willing pay the price. But Emily and Steve and my parents shouldn’t have to.”

Ward is not sure what to say to comfort him. “This is bigger than anything you did,” he says, but Jake looks doubtful. He focuses his attention on the punching bag.

“Do you want to go a few rounds?” Ward asks. “Just for practice. Nothing serious.”

Jake smirks. “I don’t want to embarrass you in front of your team, G-man.” However he stops hitting the bag and sizes Ward up.

“There are some mats in that cabinet over there,” Ward gestures as he unhooks the punching bag.

Jake lays out the mats and takes off his shoes and socks. He waits for Ward to do the same, and then just as Ward has taken a defensive position, he launches a kick that hits Ward in the chest. Not fully prepared for it, Ward stumbles but quickly catches himself.

“Nice kick.” Jake and Ward turn to see Skye and Emily watching them. Skye smirks at Ward.

“I wasn’t ready,” Ward says.

Jake snorts. “Got to be ready for anything, G-man. Isn’t that part of S.H.I.E.L.D. training?” He delivers a punch, but Ward blocks it easily.

They spar for a few minutes. Mostly Ward stays on the defensive because he is uncomfortable attacking a teenager no matter how aggressively he fights. Jake has no such reservations and goes all out. He reminds Ward of May, when he sees her unleash the full might of her fury on enemies in the field. Like May, he is quite fast, though not nearly as strong as Ward. His speed though does allow him to land a blow to his stomach, which knocks the wind out of Ward.

“Not exactly fighting fair,” Ward says.

“Life isn’t fair,” Jake says.

Emily rolls her eyes. “Give the agent a rest. He’s not going to hit a kid.” She takes off her shoes and steps forward and takes Ward’s place opposite her brother. In contrast to the way he fought against Ward, he is more restrained against his sister. They are fairly evenly matched. Although Jake is taller and stronger, Emily is just as fast and blocks or dodges her brother’s attacks.

Out of the corner of her eye she notices Coulson and Steve watching them from the balcony.

“Mom taught us to fight. She’s much better than our karate instructors. We’ve been practicing every day that we’ve been on the run, just like she told us.” He looks expectantly up at Coulson for a response.

“She taught you well,” Coulson says stiffly.

“Do you want to see what I’ve been practicing?”

Coulson looks like he does not know how to answer, and Skye calls up to them, “Sure Steve. I’d love to see you take down your brother.”

Steve hurries down the spiral staircase. “Usually Jake beats me because he’s bigger and stronger, but he says I’m getting better.”

Jake looks at his little brother fondly. “He’s small, but he’s scrappy.”

Jake is very gentle against his brother, letting Steve do most of the attacking and focusing on evading or deflecting him. Finally, though, when Steve blocks one of Jake’s attacks, he’s able to use the momentum to throw Jake off-balance, and he sits the mats with a hard thud.

“Nice move,” May says from the balcony.

Jake gives her a wary look, but Steve beams. “You -” he starts to say, but looks embarrassed, “- I mean, my mom showed me how to do that.”

*****

When Emily notices that Coulson is no longer watching Jake and Steve spar, she slips upstairs to his office to talk to him. It is nice to relax a little and know that they are somewhere safe after a year on the run, but they cannot hide out in this universe forever. They need to get back where they belong.

She knocks on the door and sticks her head in. “Excuse me. Agent Coulson?”

He looks up from the paperwork on his desk, and for a second Emily feels like she is back at home, telling her father that it is time for dinner. She swallows the lump in her throat. “Do you have a minute?”

“Of course.” He gestures at the chair in front of him. “Have a seat.”

She does not sit down right away. Instead she goes over to the bookshelf and peers at the collection of old spy gear.

“Your brother also thought that was pretty interesting.”

“It’s weird. My dad loves old stuff too. He has a lot of Red Sox stuff and Captain America stuff. It drives my mom crazy. She hates clutter.” She glances around. Unlike her father’s office, there are no pictures. She knows that he and Agent May are no longer a couple, but she cannot imagine him without someone special in his life. “You don’t have any pictures of your family.”

“I don’t have a family.”

“Not even a girlfriend?”

“No.” From his tone, Emily can tell that he does not want to talk about his personal life anymore. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

Emily sits down across from him. “We appreciate everything you’ve done for us, but my brothers and I have to get back to The Fridge. There has to be some way to reopen the portal and send us back.”

“Fitz is working on it, but no one has ever seen anything like this before,” Coulson says. “It could take months or years to understand how it works.” He pauses, then says, “It’s very impressive that the three of you managed to get into The Fridge, but what was your plan after you got in? Do you even have a plan to get out?”

“We have to find our parents. Once we find them, they can help us escape.”

“You said that S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were searching for you when you disappeared through the portal,” Coulson says. “If we send you back, you’ll almost certainly be captured immediately.”

She stares at him defiantly. “We have to go back. We can’t leave Mom and Dad in there. We’ve been trying to find them for a year.”

“In this universe, no one has ever broken out of The Fridge.”

“It’s the same in our universe. We’ll be the first.” She can tell that he is skeptical, and she does not know how to convince him. She knows that her father would understand why they cannot give up. This man might look like her father, but she feels as though she is talking to a stranger. “We’re a family. We can’t leave without them.”


	3. Chapter 3

“FitzSimmons! Can you come in here?” Skye shouts.

FitzSimmons run into the lab. In the middle of the room is a strange blue light, similar to the one that appeared just before the Coulson children came through.

“What did you do?” Fitz demands running over to the computer.

“Nothing! I just came in here to get my computer, and this thing was all blue and glowy again.”

FitzSimmons start frantically taking measurements with the lab equipment. They are so focused on their readings that Skye is the only one who notices a hand stretching out of the portal.

“Guys!” Skye points at the portal. “Something’s coming through.”

The hand is followed by an arm and then a whole person. As soon as she is through, the portal disappears. FitzSimmons and Skye stare at a perfect duplicate of Jemma Simmons, who stares back at them.

“It worked! Fitz will be so excited,” the other Simmons says.

“Who are you?” Skye asks.

“Jemma Simmons, with S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Skye glances at their Simmons. “Yeah, we kind of gathered that. I mean we have one too -”

“Oh, how amazing! Alternate versions of Fitz and me! Are we working on the portal in this universe as well?”

“What are you doing here?” Fitz asks. “How did you open the portal again?”

“It wasn’t easy. It opened for the first time on it’s own a few hours ago. When Fitz was finally able to figure out how to control it, I was sent through to see where it went. He’ll reopen it in an hour so I can get back.” She looks around. “Am I still at the Fridge?”

“No, we work on a mobile command unit,” Simmons says, “under Agent Coulson.”

At the mention of his name, the other Simmons’ happy smile disappears. “Agent Coulson? Phil Coulson? He’s a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and he’s in charge here?” She looks nervous.

“Yeah,” Skye says, “the guy who, in your universe, is being held at the Fridge with his wife for god knows what reason.”

“Well that’s actually the other reason they sent me,” the other Simmons explains. “They saw the footage of the Coulsons fleeing into the lab around the same time that the portal opened. I was sent through to see where they might have gone so a strike team can come get them.”

Skye looks outraged. “S.H.I.E.L.D. is sending a strike team after three teenagers? The youngest one hasn’t even gone through puberty yet.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Coulson are very dangerous,” the other Simmons says, although she looks a little unsure. “They’ve tried to escape numerous times, and their children broke into the Fridge. They have to be detained.”

“Well, you’re going to have to tell our Coulson that,” Skye says.

“Tell me what?” Coulson asks. He blinks when he notices the two Simmonses. “I see we have another visitor from the alternate universe.”

The other Simmons wrings her hands. “Mr. Coulson -”

“Agent Coulson,” Skye corrects her.

“Sorry sir, Agent Coulson, I was just saying that I mean you no harm, but I was sent here to investigate where the portal went and to provide information so that S.H.I.E.L.D. can retrieve some missing targets.”

“They’re going to send a strike team through the portal,” Skye says.

Coulson frowns. “I can’t allow a S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team to infiltrate my plane.”

“It’s only to retrieve high-level targets.”

“You mean three teenagers.” Skye looks pleadingly at Coulson. “She’s acting like they’re dangerous criminals.”

“They are dangerous. Or at least their parents are. They’re suspected of being Hydra sleeper agents or associates of former Director Fury.”

“Suspected? What about proven?” Skye demands.

Coulson’s attention focuses on the last part of her statement. “Former Director Fury? What happened to him?”

“Yes sir.” The other Simmons looks uncomfortable. “I’m not entirely sure. I’m only Level 5. But according to the reports he was executed for treason shortly after the Battle of New York.”

“What happened during the Battle of New York?” he asks.

The other Simmons looks confused. “Did that not happen in this universe?”

“It did, but it seems that the aftermath was very different,” Coulson says.

“Well, I don’t know all the details, but the city of New York was destroyed during the battle, and S.H.I.E.L.D. was barely able to stop the alien force.”

“What about the Avengers?” Skye asks. When she sees the other Simmons’ blank face she adds, “Earth’s mightiest heroes?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk…”

The other Simmons still looks confused. “A few gifted individuals did try to stop the aliens, but they perished in the battle.”

“If Fury was executed, who is director of S.H.I.E.L.D. now?” Coulson asks.

“Director Victoria Hand. Why? How is this different from your universe?”

“For starters New York wasn’t destroyed in the battle,” Skye says, but before she can say more Coulson cuts her off.

“It seems that a few more things are different than my love life and career, but that’s beside the point. I can’t allow a S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team to invade this plane.”

“Sir, I have my orders.”

Simmons looks disappointed in her counterpart. “Is that all that matters to you? Because I hate to think that any version of myself would be all right with locking three teenagers and their parents in the Fridge for the rest of their lives when they’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Well - but - you see, that’s not up to me. And S.H.I.E.L.D. seems to believe that they are a threat.”

Simmons glares at her counterpart. “Don’t you believe in facts? Not rumor and speculation.”

The other Simmons draws herself up. “Of course I do. I am a scientist.” She glances at the three facing her, and admits, “While Mr. and Mrs. Coulson certainly could be a danger to S.H.I.E.L.D., it does not appear that they have actually been engaged in any nefarious activities. However, after everything that has happened - the prolonged imprisonment and interrogation, the manhunt for their children - S.H.I.E.L.D. has no choice but to keep them in custody.”

“What? Why?” Skye demands. “You just said they were innocent.”

“They were innocent. But if they were released now, they almost certainly would join up with an organization working to undermine S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“So S.H.I.E.L.D. can’t let them go because they were arrested? That’s insane,” Skye says.

Simmons looks like she wants to agree, but she says, “S.H.I.E.L.D.’s policy is to find potential threats and control them before anything happens.”

Skye looks at Coulson. He looks troubled. “I’ll need to discuss this with the rest of the team. However, it is the policy of our S.H.I.E.L.D. to protect civilians, including those children.”

Simmons looks at her counterpart. “Isn’t that why you joined S.H.I.E.L.D.? To use your knowledge of science to help other people.”

The other Simmons looks indignant. “Of course it is. But there’s nothing I can do here. If they even suspect me of disloyalty, I’ll be executed or thrown in the deepest level of the Fridge.”

A plan has been forming in Coulson’s mind since the arrival of the other Simmons. “No one will know. Your involvement would be minimal. We would only need you to open the portal at an agreed-upon time so that our team can rescue the children’s parents.”

“How? There are security checkpoints at every junction.”

Simmons asks, “What sort of security checkpoints? Badges? Retinal scans? DNA?”

The other Simmons says, “DNA and retinal scans. The only person with direct access to Mr. and Mrs. Coulson is the agent in charge of interrogating them.”

“Who is that?” Coulson asks.

“Agent Grant Ward.”

*****

While FitzSimmons and Skye play board games with the children in the lounge, Coulson, May, and Ward discuss the situation in Coulson’s office.

“Sir, this may not be a popular opinion, but this isn’t our fight. They’re not from our universe. If we send them back, we’re just putting things back the way they were supposed to be,” Ward says.

“I talked to Emily. She told me their plan. All the effort was placed on getting into the Fridge. There’s no way they’ll be able to break out their parents and escape.”

Ward looks sympathetic. “We don’t have to send them back with nothing. We can give them weapons, information, enough so that they can escape. But breaking their parents out of the Fridge is impossible. At least in our universe, no one has ever escaped from the Fridge.”

“I told them that. They didn’t care. They’re determined to rescue their parents or die trying.” Coulson glances at May who is unreadable.

“Sir,” Ward urges, “the bigger issue is the threat that they pose to our universe. If they were to come here with a strike team, what’s to keep them from coming back for more. If things really are so desperate that S.H.I.E.LD. has imposed martial law and is holding civilians indefinitely, I’m sure they wouldn’t hesitate to invade our universe for weapons, technology -”

“We also have a few gifted individuals that they seem to have lost.”

“We can’t let that happen,” Ward says. “If we send them back, the other S.H.I.E.L.D. won’t have a reason to investigate this universe right away. Then we can concentrate our efforts on keeping the portal closed.”

They both glance at May who has been silent up until this point. “They aren’t our children,” she tells Coulson slowly, “but they are civilians. We have a duty to protect them. We can’t sacrifice them to save ourselves.”

Coulson nods. “Agreed.” They both look at Ward.

He crosses his arms. “How are we going to do this? They won’t stay here without their parents.”

“They won’t have to. We’ll break their parents out of the Fridge. Your counterpart has full access to both of the prisoners. I’ve talked with the other Simmons about helping us by opening the portal so that you can crossover. She is conflicted about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s plans to capture the children and hold them and their parents indefinitely in the Fridge. She agreed to talk things over with the other Fitz and then tell us if they’ve decided to help us.”


	4. Chapter 4

“I’m not sure about this, Jemma,” Fitz says nervously. “If they find out -”

“I know, but you know that these people aren’t guilty, Fitz. You’ve said it yourself. And they have three little children. The youngest is only thirteen. They don’t deserve to spend the rest of their lives in the Fridge.”

He glances around nervously. The electromagnetic field from the portal has disrupted all of the surveillance equipment in the lab, but there is always the risk of someone coming in and overhearing them. “Of course not. But what can we do about it?”

“They suggested having their Agent Ward come through the portal and get Mr. and Mrs. Coulson out of holding.”

“And then what? They’ll all live in an alternate universe?”

“I’m not sure,” Simmons admits. “They said they would figure something out. All we have to do is open the portal at the agreed upon times.”

Before he can say anything, the door opens. Both of them jump.

“Agent Ward,” Simmons says, her voice a little too high and bright. “What brings you here?”

“You two have a new truth serum. I want to try it out on a prisoner.”

“It’s not really ready for use,” Simmons says. “I’m still finding the correct dosage. It’s quite strong -”

“Good. Maybe this time I can get him to stay on topic.”

“Is this about Mr. Coulson?”

He nods. “Get everything ready. I’ll be back in two hours.”

“It’s not ready,” Fitz says. “It has dangerous cardiac side effects. We haven’t been able to find an appropriate dose in lab rats, let alone start human trials.”

“Then he’ll be the first.” He glares at them. “Two hours.” He leaves without another word.

*****

Phil has not been interrogated in a long time, long enough that he has lost track of the exact number of days. He actually misses Agent’s visits. At least when he was coming to interrogate him regularly, he had a way to mark the passage of time and something to think about besides what was happening to his family. As S.H.I.E.L.D. imposes increasingly harsh restrictions on him, he can only wonder what is happening to Melinda. Is she also being refused utensils and solid foods? Is there a reason why? Part of him hopes that it is in retaliation for something that they did because it gives him some sense of accomplishment. He and Melinda might be their prisoners, but they are still able to strike against S.H.I.E.L.D.

This time when he sees Agent, he decides to mimic Melinda and say nothing. He is sure that wherever she is, she is utilizing silence as one of her weapons. That and her stare always make people uncomfortable.

It seems to work because as Agent marches him down the hall he says, “Not feeling so chatty today?”

Phil does not say anything. He is so tired of all of this. Pretending that nothing is bothering him. Trying to manipulate Agent into giving him a piece of useful information. Biding his time, waiting for an opportunity to escape. He has been captured for so long, playing these games with Agent, and despite a few hollow victories his situation keeps getting worse. The only bright spot is the knowledge that his children have not fallen into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s custody. If they had, Agent would not be asking so many questions about where they might go. However, that does not mean that they are still alive.

He wonders if he is the last Coulson left. If that is the case, it is best to make a stand sooner rather than later. Escape or die trying. He notices by the pattern of the turns that Agent is leading him towards the lab where he had been given the truth serum before. When he is recovering from that is as good a time as any to make his escape attempt. The two scientists he saw last time did not look physically imposing. He has no doubt that he can disable them even in his weakened state.

He is proven correct when Agent pulls the hood off his head to reveal that they are standing in the lab. The two scientists look wary.

“As I said earlier, the drug is still untested, with dangerous cardiovascular side effects,” the woman says.

“Give it to him. Director Hand wants answers.” Agent throws him onto the exam table and straps him down.

Phil stares at the ceiling and plans his attack. If this is anything like the last interrogation under truth serum, they will leave him strapped to the table during the questioning. When it is over, he will have a few minutes alone with the scientists before they sedate him for transport back to his cell. He watches the scientists as they attach monitoring devices and prepare the injection. Some of the electrodes are attached beneath the skin, and the man uses a scalpel to slice several small incisions to attach them. When he leaves the scalpel on the table, Phil palms it. 

Phil notices that the woman looks sad as she injects him with the truth serum, and he stares at her coldly. She turns away. “It should take effect almost immediately.”

His head feels light as if it may float off of his head. He feels words bubbling up in his throat, but before he can speak his heart begins to race. He gasps for breath as the woman rushes to his side.

Agent looks annoyed. “What’s going on?”

“He’s gone into a dangerous arrhythmia. I need to stabilize him.”

It is getting harder and harder for Phil to concentrate on the voices around him. A white noise fills his ears, and the images in the room blur and fade into a grey haze. He wonders, after everything he has been through, if he is going to die from this drug. His last thought is whether they will let Melinda know what has happened to him.

*****

The first thing Phil realizes when he regains consciousness is that for the first time in over a year, he is not restrained. The second thing he realizes is that one of the scientists is leaning over him. He throws his right arm up with the scalpel held between his fingers, but the man jumps out of the way, and the scalpel only grazes his cheek.

“Um, looks like he’s awake,” he says, holding his hand to his bleeding face.

The woman raises her hands and says, “Please, we just want to help you.”

He tries to sit up, but he is too weak and dizzy to do anything but make a sound somewhere between a laugh and a cough. “Help me? You almost killed me.”

“You had a bad reaction to the serum,” the woman says. “Your heart rate became erratic, but we were able to stabilize you. We don’t have much time. Agent Ward will be back any minute. Please, drop the scalpel and let us help you.”

He brandishes the scalpel at them. “Why?”

She points towards the glowing blue portal. “Your children are through there. They’re safe, and you will be too.”

“Where are they? What is that thing?”

“We don’t have time to explain. Please trust us.”

He hesitates. He does not know if he can trust them, but if there is a chance that he will finally be reunited with his children, he has to take it. He thinks about the sad look in the woman’s face when she injected him with the drug, and the guilt and regret in their eyes after the last interrogation. He nods and tucks the scalpel back against his palm.

The two of them move towards him and help him off the table. He is so weak that they have to drag him over to the portal and push him towards it. He stumbles. For a moment he is enveloped in a glowing blue light, then he crashes onto the floor.

“Someone else came through.” Two pairs of hands help him up, and he finds himself staring at the same two scientists, except this pair are wearing different clothes and are staring at him in shock. “Coulson? What happened?”

“What do you mean? I fell down.” He tries to catch his breath, and the woman looks concerned. He realizes that he dropped the scalpel on the floor, but before he can pick it up, she grabs his wrist and frowns.

“His pulse is racing. We have to get him onto the table. I need to figure out how to stabilize his heart rate.”

He tries to pull away. “Get away from me. I need an explanation. First you shot me full of some drugs and almost killed me, and then you claimed that I could find my children on the other side of a blue portal.”

She looks concerned. “I know this is confusing, but that wasn’t me. You’re in an alternate universe. Although I’m terribly sorry that any version of me in any universe would do that to you. Do you know what it was they injected you with?”

“Some kind of truth serum. Experimental.” His mind and the room are both spinning. “Alternate universe? Like in Star Trek?”

“Basically, yeah,” the man says. “You’re on a S.H.I.E.L.D. mobile command unit.”

“S.H.I.E.L.D.?” He tries to pull away, but they push him back onto the table.

“It’s all right. You’re safe. Your children are upstairs. They came through the portal yesterday. I’ll tell them to come down here.”

“They’re here? They’re all right?”

The woman nods. “Please, lie back and let us help you.”

There is nothing he can do but agree. He lies down and tries to relax as she attaches electrodes to his chest and fusses over the readings. Finally she stabs him with a needle, and he starts to breathe a little easier.

“That should help. I’m not sure exactly what they gave you, although the effects seem to be exacerbated by your malnutrition.”

“I’ve been detained for over a year. They stopped giving me solid food a while ago. They said it was too dangerous.”

“I called upstairs,” the man says. “Everyone will be down in a minute.”

“Emily, Jake, Steve - they’re all okay?”

They nod. “They’re worried about you and their mother.”

“How is Melinda? Have you seen her?”

“The alternate versions of ourselves have. They say she’s all right.”

“Dad!”

As soon as the children see him, they rush forward. Steve gets there first and throws himself at his father. “You’re okay.”

“Actually, you need to step back,” Simmons says. “Your father has a serious arrhythmia.”

Steve backs up warily. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine, Steve.” Phil stretches out his hand and pats Steve’s arm. “I’m so glad to see you three. How did you get here? And where are we?”

“We broke into The Fridge to rescue you and Mom,” Jake says, “but then we got sucked into this blue portal and ended up here. We’re in an alternate universe.”

“Like the Mirror Universe in Star Trek,” Steve says. “They think our universe is the dark, messed up one.”

“There are alternate versions of you and Mom,” Emily says, “but you’re not married, and you’re S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.”

Phil looks up and sees himself, albeit a much fitter version wearing a very nice suit. “You must be the alternate version of me.”

“I’m Agent Coulson. I’m in charge of this mobile command unit.”

“We’re on an MCU?” He looks around. “It’s nice. Much nicer than the one I was on twenty years ago.”

“So you and Mom were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents,” Jake says. He does not sound as angry as he did earlier, just tired.

“A long time ago. But we left to get married and have you guys.” He looks at Coulson. “I guess you didn’t.”

“No. Melinda and I both stayed in S.H.I.E.L.D. Actually, she’s on the MCU as well. She’s the pilot.”

“What about my Melinda? Is she all right?”

“She’s still back in our universe,” Jake says. “Why are you here?”

“I was being interrogated by Agent. Those two scientists -” He gestured towards FitzSimmons. “- or at least the versions in our universe gave me some kind of drug, but I started having trouble breathing and passed out. When I came to, they dragged me over to the portal and tossed me through it.”

“Dad, that’s awful,” Emily says. “Are you okay?”

“Your father’s going to be fine,” Simmons says. “I’ll need to monitor him, but I believe I can keep his heart rate under control.”

“Who is Agent?” Coulson asks.

“The same agent has been interrogating me for over a year, but he’s never told me his name, so I just call him Agent.” Skye snickers. “Tall, dark hair, never smiles.” Phil stares at Ward, who has just entered, and scowls. “He looks just like that guy.”

“That’s Agent Ward,” Coulson says. “He’s one of the specialists on my team.”

“So in this universe Agent works for me? I have to admit I like that idea.”

“Has it been terrible? Did they torture you?” Jake asks.

“No, they just interrogated me a lot,” Phil says, “but I was trained to resist interrogation when I was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, so they haven’t gotten much out of me.” He turns towards Coulson. “How are we going to get Melinda out? We can’t just leave her there.”

“We were working on a plan with the other FitzSimmons before you came over,” Coulson says. “I assume your arrival indicates that they’ve decided to go ahead with it. We were told that Agent Ward is one of the only people with physical access to you and your wife, and luckily we have one of our own.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. All of the fighting between our OTP kind of killed our muse, but we're finally ready to write again. Hopefully there won't be too many more delays, although given how intense the last few episodes have been, we make no promises.

After a few minutes, Simmons decides that Phil is stable enough to be moved, so Ward and Coulson help him down to the medical pod. Simmons gives the children a few minutes with their father, but eventually she shoos everyone outside except for Fitz so that she can finish treating him.

“I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come back in,” she promises as she detaches Steve, who looks mournfully at his father.

“It’s okay, Steve. Everything’s going to be fine,” Phil reassures him as his siblings lead him away.

They do not go far, hovering right outside the medical pod and peering through the glass to watch as Simmons injects Phil with more medications and puts in an IV to hydrate him.

“Are you hungry?” she asks. “There’s food in the kitchen.”

Steve raises his hand. “I can get some!” he yells through the glass. “Mom - I mean, Agent May made some chicken and rice. It’s really good.”

“Okay, Steve. That sounds great,” Phil says.

Steve bolts upstairs, feet pounding on the metal floor. When he returns a few minutes later, he thrusts a warm bowl at his father. It smells delicious, just like something Melinda makes them, but Phil feels vaguely nauseated after going so long without solid food. He eats a few bites and smiles to make Steve happy. “It’s great. Thanks, Steve.”

Instead of looking happy though, Steve looks like he is trying not to cry. “You look so sick, Dad.”

“I’m okay now. My brave, strong kids have rescued me. My heroes.”

Steve looks down at his feet. “I’m not a hero. Emily and Jake did everything. I was really scared. I didn’t know if we were ever going to see you again.”

Phil pats his son on the shoulder. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. Your mother thought that something like this might happen, but I didn’t want to believe it. I should have protected you guys, gotten us off the grid together before S.H.I.E.L.D. could take us.”

“Jake thought it was his fault for getting involved with the Rising Tide.”

Phil looks shocked. “Jake said that?”

“He didn’t have to. I could tell.”

He shakes his head. “This wasn’t about anything that you kids did. It was about Mom and me, and our past at S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Jake and Emily are listening to the conversation from the door. When their father says that none of this was Jake’s fault, Emily glances at her brother. Instead of looking relieved or angry, he just looks fiercely determined. He turns and marches upstairs to the cargo bay where Coulson and Ward are talking.

“What’s next?” he demands.

Ward looks surprised. “Excuse me?”

“My dad is free, but what about my mom? Or were you just going to wait for her to fall through the portal too?”

Ward looks annoyed, but Coulson is amused by Jake’s boldness. “We’ve been discussing a plan to have Agent Ward infiltrate the Fridge and bring your mother back to FitzSimmons’ lab to send her through the portal.”

“When?”

“I’m not sure. The FitzSimmons at the Fridge are the only ones who can open the portal. We have to wait for them to do it again.”

Jake crosses his arms. “We can’t wait much longer. You saw what they did to my dad. We can’t let them do that to her.”

Coulson and Ward exchange a glance. They are both thinking that the Melinda May they know is experienced at withstanding torture and taking down her enemies. However, Jake and his siblings describe her as someone fragile that they need to defend and protect. Coulson wonders which version of Melinda Coulson is closer to the truth. The other Simmons had mentioned that Mr. and Mrs. Coulson have attempted to escape multiple times, and he assumes that most of those attempts were made by Melinda.

“We’re doing everything we can,” he says.

Ward says, “Your mother is a trained specialist. She knows how to handle these situations.”

Jake glares at Ward. “My mom isn’t a S.H.I.E.L.D. robot like you or Agent May. She needs us.”

Before either of them can answer, they notice a flash of blue light coming from the lab, and the other Simmons walks towards them.

“Hello? Did Mr. Coulson make it over here? How is he?”

“Simmons is stabilizing him downstairs, but she says he’s going to be okay.” 

The other Simmons breaths a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. I was so worried. Fitz and I didn’t know what else to do after he had that reaction to the truth serum. I’m glad my counterpart was able to treat him. I’m a biochemist, not a doctor.”

“She’s a biochemist too, but she’s had plenty of practice taking care of the team’s injuries in the field.”

‘Yes, I suppose she would.” The other Simmons looks a little wistful. “I tried to get certified to go into the field with Fitz, but neither of us passed our field assessments, and we were told that our skills were needed at the Fridge.”

“What research do you do at the Fridge?” Coulson asks.

“Mostly advanced interrogation techniques. Some weapons research. What does my counterpart do?”

“FitzSimmons’ biggest project has been developing a form of non-lethal weaponry,” Coulson says. “We call them ICERs. They instantly render a victim unconscious.”

“Really? That sounds fascinating. Does it use a type of neurotoxin?”

“Yes. Have you been working on something similar?”

“Fitz and I toyed with the idea, but S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t have a lot of interest in non-lethal weaponry.”

“What sort of weapons have you made?” Ward asks.

Coulson gives him a strange look. “I don’t know that this is really the time to be swapping specs. We need to discuss a plan for getting Mrs. Coulson out of the Fridge.”

“Have you seen my mom? Is she okay?” Jake interrupts.

The other Simmons looks at him a little sadly. “I’ve seen her. She’s all right, but she misses you very much.”

“How much access to her do you have?” Coulson asks.

“Only when Agent Ward brings her in for interrogation. She hasn’t given them any information through conventional methods, so they started bringing her to the lab so we could try some of our serums on her. But they haven’t yielded anything useful, so Agent Ward hasn’t brought her to us in some time.”

“Do you know where she’s being kept?”

“No, but we could find out. She has made so many escape attempts that they sedate her and move her to a new cell every few weeks.”

Ward looks skeptical. “Just how dangerous can she be? She’s been out of S.H.I.E.L.D. for almost two decades.”

“How soon would you be able to open the portal again?”

“Fitz is going to open it for me in a few minutes, but we won’t have enough power to open it again until tomorrow. Technically the portal isn’t open and shut, but rather the other end drifts across the Multiverse, and we have to focus it onto this universe. It’s really quite fascinating -”

Coulson interrupts her. “When you be able to focus the portal again to bring them back?”

“Not for another fourteen hours, so around ten o’clock.”

“All right. Agent Ward will be ready to go in then.”

Jake looks upset. “What about Mom? How will she know that you’re there to help her?”

“The Fridge is under heavy surveillance. I won’t be able to reveal myself to her until we’re back.”

“She’ll be scared. And what if she tries to resist. You aren’t going to hurt her, are you?”

“You should go back down with your dad,” Ward says. “We need to finish discussing the mission.”

“We’re not going to hurt her,” Coulson says. “Agent Ward is right though, why don’t you go check on your father. We’ll finish up here, and then you and your siblings can come back up to sleep in the lounge.”

Jakes crosses his arms. “No way. I want to know what you’re going to do to her.”

“We’re not going to hurt her,” Coulson repeats. He looks at Ward to get the same reassurance from him.

“I’m not going to hurt her. I’ll have an ICER in case I run into trouble. It’s just going to sedate her.”

“You’re not shooting my mom!” He looks pleadingly at Coulson, and despite his bravado, he can see how young Jake really is. “You can’t let the T-1000 treat her like some kind of criminal.”

“He’s not going to shoot your mother,” Coulson says glaring at Ward. “We’ll get her out without hurting her. You have my word.”

Jake looks satisfied and heads back down to the medical pod. Before he disappears out of sight he says, “I’ll hold you to that. If anything happens to her, you’ll have to answer to me.”

Ward raises his eyebrows and looks like he is trying not to laugh. Coulson though just nods seriously. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

*****

After ironing out the final details of the plan with the other Simmons, Coulson, Simmons, and Skye go down to the medical pod to check on the Coulsons. When they get there, they find that Emily, Jake, and Steve have laid out mats and blankets on the floor. Steve is mostly asleep, and Emily and Jake are telling their father about their time off the grid.

Coulson clears his throat. “We have a plan to get your mother back. Agent Ward will go through the portal tomorrow morning, impersonate his counterpart, and bring her back to the lab so that they can go through the portal to this universe.”

Phil looks relieved. “That’s wonderful news. Thank you.” He looks at the kids. Steve is too tired to even respond, and Jake is rubbing his eyes sleepily. Emily gives him a smile that turns into a deep yawn. “You guys look exhausted. You should get some sleep.”

“We can make up beds for you in the lounge,” Skye says. “Or we can put cots in the interrogation room.”

“We’re not leaving Dad by himself,” Jake says.

“It doesn’t look very comfortable,” Skye says. “There’s not a lot of room.”

“We’re fine here,” Emily says shaking her head. She tucks a blanket around Steve and then lies down on one of the mats and pulls a blanket around herself.

Simmons smiles at them. They look so happy, just being together. “If you need anything, or if you start to feel ill again, Mr. Coulson, just let us know. We’re right upstairs.”

“Thanks,” Phil says, “but I think we’re okay for now. The only thing we need is Melinda.”

“We’re working on that,” Coulson says.


	6. Chapter 6

When Ward steps through the portal the other FitzSimmons are waiting for him. They pull up a map of the Fridge and point towards a cell in the high security detention area.

“That’s where they’re holding Mrs. Coulson. The only entry point is here and requires both a retina scan and fingerprint to gain access.” Fitz says.

Ward finds it weird that they keep referring to May as Mrs. Coulson. He wonders just how similar she is going to be to the woman he knows. “Anything else I need to know?”

“She’s very dangerous. She injured over a dozen agents. She’s in full restraints and chained to the floor,” Simmons says.

“Do you have a key for the restraints?” They shake their heads, and Ward tries not to roll his eyes. “So how am I going to get it?”

“We thought you’d know. I mean, our Agent Ward knows where those things are kept,” Fitz says.

“Great. Now I have to hunt down the other Ward to steal his keys. Where is he?”

“Fitz hacked into the security feed, so we can track his position throughout the hub.” With the flick of a few keystrokes, Simmons brings up the map on the computer screen. She frowns. “That’s odd. It looks like he’s coming towards the lab.”

Ward dives behind a cabinet right before the door opens to reveal the other Ward. It really is eerie just how alike they look, right down to the mannerisms.

“Any updates?” he asks.

“No, sir. Everything checks out,” Simmons says haltingly.

“What about Mr. Coulson? I can’t believe you two lost him. Have you found him? He has to be here somewhere. It’s impossible to escape from the Fridge.”

“Of course, sir. As Simmons said, there was no trace of him, but we’ll go over the readings again,” Fitz says quickly.

“What about that portal you’ve been working on? Any way he could have fallen through there?”

“It’s possible,” Fitz says, “but if he did there’s no way to know where he ended up.”

The other Ward looks suspiciously at them. “You were supposed to figure out how to control that thing. Show me what you have so far.”

Ward decides that this is taking too long. He pulls out and ICER and shoots the other Ward right in the chest. The other FitzSimmons gasp as the other Ward crumples to the ground.

“Is he -” Simmons asks.

“He’s just sedated. He’ll wake up in a few hours with a killer hangover.” Ward shoots the man a few more times to make sure he stays down, but he feels guilty shooting himself. Even if this is what Skye calls Dark Ward, he cannot help but feel sorry for him. If this Ward is anything like him, he is just following orders.

Ward bends over his counterpart and rifles through his pockets until he finds a ring of keys. “How long can you keep the portal open?”

“About thirty minutes. It takes a tremendous amount of energy for each opening,” Fitz says.

“All right.”

He makes his way to the detention area without drawing attention to himself. Two guards are sitting in front of a wall of computers monitoring the prisoners. They barely look up at him.

“Back for another interrogation, Agent Ward?” one of them asks.

“Yes, with this prisoner.” He points at the image of Melinda.

“She should be a little bit easier this time,” the other guard says. “She’s been refusing food, and we haven’t gotten around to sedating her for a feeding her in a few days.”

By the casual way he says this, Ward guesses that she has been refusing food for a long time, but to what end he is not sure. Inside the cell she is sitting slumped against the wall. As soon as he enters, her eyes snap open, and she stares at him with a familiar intensity. Other than that though it is as if he is staring at a stranger. She is gaunt from her year imprisonment, and her hair is long and stringy. He wonders why everyone is so afraid of her when she looks like she is about to drop dead of malnutrition.

He cannot say anything to reassure her with the guards watching them on the monitors, so he silently bends down and unchains her from the floor. As soon as she is released, she wraps the chains that bind her wrists around his neck and pulls tightly. It happens so fast that all he can do is claw desperately at the chains around his throat and try not to pass out.

The guards rush into the room. One hits Melinda in the head with a baton and throws her against the wall. The other loosens the chain from Ward’s neck.

“I thought you’d learned your lesson about her,” the second guard says.

The first guard sicks a syringe into Melinda’s thigh, and she sags weakly onto the floor. He gives Ward a strange look.

“Why were you unchaining her?”

“I’m transporting her to the lab. We’re going to use that experimental serum on her.”

The guard gives him a confused look. “I thought that almost killed the other subject.”

Ward looks at Melinda, and from the sad look on her face he knows that she suspects that they are talking about her husband. It is disconcerting. He has never seen May look this sad. 

“FitzSimmons think they can keep her stable.”

“Why didn’t you sedate her before you tried to transport her?” the guard asks. “What I gave her only partially paralyzes her, but it won’t knock her out. I’ll go get something stronger.”

“No, I want to interrogate her immediately, and I don’t have time to wait for her to wake up.” He grabs her and hoists her up. She can barely keep her feet underneath her. “This is fine.”

“You’re supposed to put a bag over her head.”

“Right. Get it.”

She glares at him until the guard returns, and he puts the bag over her head, then drags her through the halls. When they get to the lab, he removes the bag and says, “You have to trust me. I’m taking you to your husband and kids.”

She glares at him, fury radiating from every pore. “Why would I trust you?”

“I’m not the Agent Ward you know. I’m from an alternate universe.” He nods towards the floor where the other Agent Ward is still lying unconscious. “I was sent her to retrieve you.”

Melinda stares at the three of them, and FitzSimmons back up nervously. “Maybe we should use that pistol on her,” Fitz says.

“I’m not shooting a civilian right before I rescue her,” Ward says exasperatedly.

“She’s not just a civilian, Agent Ward. You shouldn’t underestimate her.”

“Just open the portal.” He tightens his grip on her while they wait and prays that the paralytic the guard gave her does not wear off.

When the portal finally opens, he does not bother trying to convince her, just picks her up and runs through the portal. “I’m going to put you down now,” he says. “Don’t attack me, or I will have to sedate you.”

Melinda stares at him, fury radiating from every pore, but before she can do anything the children run into the lab.

“Mom!” Steve runs towards his mother and throws his arms around her. “Mommy!” He almost knocks her off balance, but Jake and Emily are there to steady her.

“It’s all right, Mom. We’re safe,” Emily says.

Her initial fury has faded, but she still looks wary and confused. She holds onto the children tightly. “Where are we? How did you kids get here?”

“We’re in an alternate universe,” Emily says. “We came to rescue you and Dad from the Fridge, and we got sucked through a portal here. These people helped us rescue you.”

“Where’s your father? Is he okay?”

“He’s okay. He’s downstairs in this little hospital.”

Melinda look panicked. “What’s wrong with him?”

Simmons breaks in. “The drugs they gave him to interrogate him caused him to go into an arrhythmia, but I’ve managed to stabilize him. He’s resting down in our medical pod.”

“I need to see him,” Melinda says.

“In a moment,” Simmons says. “First I need to make sure that you’re okay.”

Melinda shakes her head. “I’m fine.”

“You look so sick, Mom. What did they do to you?” Emily asks. Steve has not let go over their mother, and Jake is on her other side, steadying her.

“I’m fine. I need to see Phil.” She starts to walk out of the lab, but enough of the paralytic is in her system that she is having a hard time keeping her balance. 

Jake puts his arm around her. “Okay, Mom. I’ll help you down there. Let go, Steve.” He pries his brother off of her, but Melinda takes her younger son’s hand. Together the three of them walk downstairs, followed closely by Emily, Simmons, and Ward.

When they get to the medical pod, Phil is sitting up in the bed. Relief washes over his face when he sees them. “Melinda!”

She stares sadly at the metal probes sticking onto his chest. “What did they do to you?”

“Agent tried some new drug on me. It turned out to be a little too strong,” he says. “But this woman fixed me.” He gestures towards Simmons.

Melinda regards her with hostility. “You injected me with a truth serum.”

“That wasn’t her. We’re in an alternate universe. Everything here is different. These people rescued us.”

Simmons approaches and says, “I really need to check you out now, Mrs. Coulson.”

“All right.” She sits on the edge of the bed, and Phil reaches over and holds her hand. The kids crowd around the bed, doing their best to stay out of Simmons’ way as she works on their mother.

“I’m so happy to see you,” Phil says. “I missed you so much.”

“I did too.” She smiles slightly. “But I felt a little better when I realized we were being interrogated by the same agent. He was very annoyed when I figured that out.”

They both look at Ward, who is standing uncomfortably in the doorway to the med pod. He clears his throat and says, “That was the other Agent Ward.”

“I understand. I’m sorry I tried to kill you.”

Ward nods. “It’s okay. I’ll let Coulson and May know that you’re down here.”

“There are other versions of us here?” Melinda asks.

Coulson nods. “We’re on an MCU. I’m in charge, and you’re the pilot. In this universe we never left S.H.I.E.L.D. or got married or had the kids.”

Simmons looks at Melinda’s chemistry panel and frowns. She sticks an IV in her arm. “This will hydrate you and give you some nutrients.”

Phil strokes her arm. “You look so thin, Melinda. Weren’t they feeding you?”

“I was refusing food. They wouldn’t give me anything solid after I used it as a weapon.”

Jake looks impressed. “What did you do?”

“I sharpened chicken bones against the wall and used them to stab the guards.”

The kids look horrified, but Phil smiles at her. “You’re so resourceful. That’s probably why they stopped giving me solid food too.”

“At that point they had already stopped giving me forks when I used one as a weapon.”

“We heard that you attacked a lot of agents,” Jake says. “That scientist said you were classified as extremely dangerous.”

“When I heard they were looking for you kids, I had to get out. I had to protect you.”

The door to the medical pod opens, and Coulson and May enter. “How are our visitors doing, Simmons?” Coulson asks.

Simmons tskes as she reviews their telemetry on her computer. “Mr. Coulson is doing better. He is still having frequent PVCs and short runs of ventricular tachycardia but nothing hemodynamically significant. Mrs. Coulson on the other hand is suffering from rhabdomyolysis and renal impairment in addition to severe malnutrition.”

Coulson stumbles over the word. “What is rhabdo-?”

“Rhabdomyolysis means muscle breakdown. It can be due to excessive exercise, certain genetic conditions, drugs such as statins and paralytic agents -”

Jake looks furious. “You said you weren’t going to shoot her with one of those guns!”

Ward holds up his hands. “Calm down. I didn’t shoot her. The guards injected her with a mild paralytic because she was strangling me.”

“Have they given that to you before?” Simmons asks.

Melinda nods. “Every time they move me or feed me. Or when I attack someone.”

“Repeated doses certainly could cause this degree of injury.” Simmons draws up a solution and injects it into the bag of IV fluids, then turns up the infusion rate. “They both need some rest and proper nutrition, but in a day or two they’ll be well enough to leave.”

“And go where?” Skye asks. “I mean we’re not going to send them back, are we? It sounds like you guys really are living in the Darkest Timeline. We could drop you off in San Jose, and you could go back to a normal life.”

Phil and Melinda exchange a look. Phil says, “We need to talk about what our next move is. We don’t belong here. We belong in our own universe.”

“But we need to make sure the kids are safe,” Melinda says.

“Now that you’ve broken out of the fridge, S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to be coming after you with all its resources. You’re not going to be safe in your universe,” Ward says.

Phil glances at Melinda. “We can discuss this more later. Right now I think Melinda needs some rest.”

“That’s a good idea. It’s far too crowded in here right now,” Simmons says. Ward, Coulson, and May go upstairs immediately. 

Skye hovers in the doorway. “Do you guys want to come upstairs with me?” she asks the children.

Steve has taken a seat at the foot of the bed. “I’m fine here.”

Phil and Melinda exchange another look, and he says, “Steve, your mom looks pretty hungry. Maybe you and your siblings could get her something to eat.”

Steve looks unhappy to be sent away. “Emily can do that.”

Melinda gives him a hug. “Steve, sweetie, I’m okay. Please go upstairs with your brother and sister. Your dad and I need to talk.”

“No,” Jake says loudly. “We’re not little kids anymore. You can’t just send us upstairs so you can have your adult conversation.”

Emily nods. “If you’re going to decide where we go next, we deserve a say.”

Phil smiles at them sadly. “You guys have grown up so much without us.” He clears his throat. “Can you give us a minute?” he asks Skye and Simmons.

After they leave Phil says, “Now that we’re together again, we need to decide where we go from here. Do we return to our own universe or stay here.” He looks at Melinda. “What do you think?”

“We have to protect the kids. Make sure they’re going to be safe.”

“You want us to stay in this timeline,” Phil guesses.

She nods. “S.H.I.E.L.D. is never going to stop hunting us. How are we going to stay off the grid? What’s that going to be like for the kids?”

Steve looks hopeful. “Skye said they could drop us off in San Jose. We could go back to the way things were before.”

“This isn’t our home. And what about the other people who are back there under the thumb of S.H.I.E.L.D.?” Jake asks. “We have to help them. We survived off the grid before. We’ll team up with our Skye and the Rising Tide.”

“It’s too late for us to go back to San Jose,” Emily says. “I know I couldn’t go back to a normal life knowing the way things are back in our universe.”

Steve looks sad, but he nods in agreement with his siblings.

Melinda sighs and looks at Phil. She knows that he agrees with the kids. “If we’re going to go back, how is this going to work? Where will the portal take us?”

“Back to the lab. I asked the scientists, and they said that the end in our universe is fixed to the lab in the Fridge,” Emily says.

Melinda looks worried. “So we’re still going to have to fight our way out of there. Even with the element of surprise, it’s going to be nearly impossible.”

“It’s not impossible. We broke in. We can get out,” Jake says.

“Maybe the team here can give us things to help,” Steve says. “FitzSimmons are really smart and have lots of cool gadgets.“

“If there’s a Fridge in their universe, they’ll be able to give us information too that can help us escape,” Emily adds.

Melinda starts to cry quietly, and the children look startled. In no timeline does Melinda May cry. Phil puts his arms around her, kisses her cheek, and says soothingly, “It’ll be all right, Melinda. We’re together again. We’ll get through this.”

“I tried to escape so many times,” she says softly. “But each time they captured me before I could reach you.”

He kisses her. “This time you’ll have me and the kids to help you instead of having to rescue everyone on your own. This time we’ll make it.”

Melinda keeps crying quietly, and Phil gives Emily a look. She taps her brothers on their shoulders. “Come on guys. Let’s go upstairs and get Mom and Dad something to eat.”

This time there are not any protests, though Steve gives each of them a long hug before he leaves. Once they are gone, Melinda lets herself cry harder, and Phil just holds her and strokes her hair. He knows without words how exhausted and worried she is after her imprisonment. The only thing that had gotten him through the past year was the hope that he might someday be able to escape. He can only imagine how hopeless he would have felt if he had tried and failed. He tries to communicate with just his presence that everything is going to be all right. They are together again, and they will live or die together, as a family. It seems to work because her tears gradually taper off, and she falls asleep with her head against his chest.


	7. Chapter 7

When she wakes up a few hours later, the room is empty except for Phil. For a moment everything that happened earlier feels like a dream, and she sits up looking around confused.

“Where are the kids? They were just here.”

“The kids are fine. They’re upstairs playing board games with some of the agents. Emily made you some soup if you’re hungry. She said the scientists helped her make it.”

Melinda shakes her head. After so long without food, the thought of it makes her vaguely ill, and Phil frowns. “You have to eat something. Why were you refusing food?” He gives her a look like he already knows the answer. “I know that it wasn’t strategic.”

She looks away. “I fought for so long. I did everything I could think of, but it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t keep going without hope.”

“I felt the same way,” he admits, “but we have hope again. Our kids saved us. They really are amazing. Like their mother.”

She kisses him. “You give me hope. You and the kids.”

“I can’t believe how much they’ve grown up. Steve was down here earlier to check on you. He brought the soup, but it’s probably cold. I can go upstairs and get you some more.”

“I’ll come with you.” The bed really is too small for two adults to share. She has been lying curled up against him, her head tucked against his chest, and her muscles feel shaky as she stands up. She steadies herself, and the sensation passes after just a minute. “Are you allowed to leave?”

“We’ll find out.” As soon as he stands, his heart rate jumps up over 100. Melinda frowns at the monitor, but the rest of his vitals are stable, and he holds out his hand. “Shall we?”

They make it halfway up to the main level before they are met by a very angry Simmons. “What are you doing galavanting around the plane? You need to be resting!”

“Melinda and I wanted to get something to eat. We feel fine.”

“You’re not fine! You’ve been held captive and restrained for over a year, you’re malnourished, and you’ve both been pumped full of dangerous sedatives and truth serums. You might be doing better, but you’re a long way from fine.”

“We’re just going upstairs,” Phil says.

Simmons glares at both of them, then relents. “Oh all right. But I’ll come with you to keep an eye on you. I don’t want either of you overexerting yourselves or becoming lightheaded.”

When they get into the lounge, Steve jumps up and says, “Mom! Are you okay? Are you hungry? Did you eat the soup I brought you?”

“I’m fine sweetie,” Melinda says. “Thank you for the soup, but it’s a little cold now, so we came upstairs to get some fresh soup.”

“I can get it! Emily made it, but I helped chop the vegetables.”

Phil smiles. “I’m sure it’s delicious.”

In reality the soup is a little bland and very thick. “They didn’t have a lot of spices,” Emily says apologetically. “But it should be nutritious. We put protein powder in it.”

Melinda and Phil exchange a look but keep eating. “It certainly tastes hearty. Thank you sweetie,” he says.

As they are eating, Coulson and May come into the lounge. “You’re awake,” Coulson says. “We were just discussing our next step.”

“We’ve talked it over,” Phil says. “We want to return to our universe.”

“Are you sure?” Skye asks.

Phil is firm. “We can’t live as refugees in an alternate universe. We’ll be fine.”

Coulson clears his throat and says, “If that’s the case, we have to figure out what you’re going to do when you go back through the portal. We can begin formulating a plan and discuss it later. It will be some time before the other FitzSimmons are able to open the portal again, and our Simmons says you won’t be able to leave for at least a day anyway. For now, you can make yourselves comfortable here. We can make up space for you to sleep in the interrogation room.”

“You’re not locking us up in the interrogation room,” Jake says. “Why can’t we sleep in the med pod like we did last night?”

“It’s a little crowded,” Skye says. “And where will your mom sleep?”

“She can sleep with Dad,” Emily says.

Melinda nods, and Phil smiles. “You kids aren’t going to complain about how we embarrass you with all of this mushy stuff?”

They shake their heads. “It’s nice,” Emily says. “We missed the mushy stuff.”

Coulson is giving his counterpart a curious look, though for his part Phil is too busy eating to notice. Melinda is sitting so close that she is almost in his lap, and he has one arm wrapped around her waist. She wonders what Agent Coulson must think of them, if he finds them as odd as she finds him and Agent May. It is strange to meet versions of herself and Phil who are not married. By the way FitzSimmons and Skye are trying not to stare at her and Phil, she suspects that they were not aware of their past together. She wonders how long ago Coulson and May broke up, and where exactly the universes diverged.

“So Mom, Dad,” Emily asks, “how did you guys really meet?”

“We met at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy,” Phil says. “We quickly became close friends, but it didn’t go further than that. She was actually seeing someone back then -”

Melinda rolls her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re bringing this up. It was over twenty years ago.”

“He used to tease me about my crush on her. He said that she would never go for a nerdy guy like me.” He smiles smugly.

“But you got the girl,” Steve says proudly.

“Yes, I did.” Phil smiles at Melinda, and she gives him a look of fond exasperation. “We started dating when we were working together in the 90’s. We were actually on an MCU, kind of like this one, but not as nice. But it was hard dating and working together, and eventually we left S.H.I.E.L.D. so that we could get married and have you kids.”

“S.H.I.E.L.D. agents don’t have families?” Emily asks.

“Some do, but most don’t. It’s hard to have a family when you’re being sent all over the world on missions. If we had stayed in S.H.I.E.L.D., we wouldn’t have been able to be there for you kids every day.”

Emily sighs. “That’s so romantic,” she says, and Skye and Simmons nod in agreement.

Phil and Melinda expect Jake to roll his eyes or complain about them being too mushy, but instead he glares at Coulson. “The robot versions of you guys act like they were never in love,” he says.

Melinda wonders how that could be true. She remembers being very much in love with him on the MCU, so much so that she had gone against orders and risked her life to save him. She gives Phil a look and says, “It was a long time ago, Jake. I’m sure a lot of things are different.”

“The other you made us dinner. It was almost as good as your cooking. But she seems so sad,” Steve says. “Were you sad when you were a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?”

She thinks back to those days, on the MCU and before. She had been so young back then, dedicated to the cause, and intoxicated with the thrill of adventure. Before being captured with Phil, part of her had truly thought she was invincible. She wonders if the other version of herself still feels the same way after twenty years on the job. “I wasn’t sad, but being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is difficult and very dangerous.”

“Too dangerous for a mom,” Steve says seriously.

“Yes, too dangerous for me to be your mom. Who would take care of you guys if something happened to me and Dad?”

Simmons sighs at how sweet they are together. Skye glances at Coulson to gauge his response, but he is walking away without a word.

*****

While they wait for the other FitzSimmons are able to open the portal again, Skye takes it upon herself to get the Coulsons settled in. Phil and Melinda take turns getting cleaned up in the small bathroom while Skye gets clothes for everyone. The children’s clothes are dirty and worn from being on the run for so long, so they have been wearing Skye and Fitz’s clothes. Poor Steve looks even smaller wearing Fitz’s T-shirt and shorts. He has to use a piece of cable as a belt to keep them from falling off.

Skye feels awkward asking Coulson and May to borrow their clothes for Phil and Melinda, but they both agree quickly. Coulson gives her his gym clothes and a clean pair of socks and underwear. She cannot suppress her smirk when she sees his Captain America boxer shorts, and he gives her a look. When she asks May, she does not say a word but flips on the autopilot and goes to her bunk and returns with an armful of clothes. Skye notes that everything, from the shirt to the underwear, is black, but she resists commenting.

Dressed in their counterparts’ clothes, Phil and Melinda look even more like shadows of their other selves. They are both very thin, and Coulson and May’s clothes hang off of them. Phil fusses over Melinda and talks about he is going to have to fatten her up, and she rolls her eyes.

“Like when I was pregnant, and you made all of those grilled cheese sandwiches?”

“I eventually learned to make other things too.”

They are so casually affectionate and sweet together. It reminds Skye a little bit of the easy companionship between Coulson and May, though lately they have been barely in the same room. Skye wonders if maybe she can get their counterparts to help them deal with whatever issues this has brought to the surface in Coulson and May, but before she can figure out what to say, Ward sticks his head into the lounge.

“Coulson wants everyone in the command center now.”

Fitz and Coulson are studying a map of the Fridge on the holotable. Once everyone has arrived, he says, “We’d like to go over possible escape plans with you. How were you able to get into the Fridge in the first place? And did you have any idea how you were going to escape?”

“We didn’t have an escape plan,” Emily admits. “We thought that Mom and Dad would help us get to the hangar and fly us out. We got in through a supply drop. Once a month the Fridge receives a shipment of supplies. Our Rising Tide contacts were able to smuggle us inside a crate of food.”

“So that’s not going to work to get you out,” Ward says. “They can’t very well fly out the hangar bay. Even if they made it past the guards and the gun turrets, HQ can override flight control on any S.H.I.E.L.D. plane.”

“There has to be some way to get them out,” Skye says. “Even in a high tech facility like the Fridge there has to be a weakness.” Her eyes light up. “What about the trash?”

“Trash is incinerated on site.”

Fitz looks thoughtful. “But there’s always the sewer system.” He taps a few keys on his computer and brings up the schematics to the Fridge. Most of the building is blank - the full schematics is classified at level 8 or higher - but it does show pipes leading towards a free-standing building about half a mile from the Fridge. “That’s the waste processing plant. Technically it is part of the Fridge, but it’s much less heavily guarded that the other areas.” He gestures towards some of the larger pipes. “If you can access these pipes they should take you right there -”

Simmons nods. “- and there are no cameras or other surveillance monitors down there, so you should be safe.”

“How are we supposed to get in?” Phil asks. “The access ports are too small for anyone but Steve.”

Fitz’s eyes light up. “Ah, well, I can help you there. I developed the mouse hole about a year ago -”

“Oh yes, the mouse hole!” Simmons interrupts. “That’ll be perfect! But don’t you just have the one?”

“I have another one I can give them. Finished it just last week actually -”

“Guys,” Phil interrupts. FitzSimmons automatically look over at Coulson first, then at his counterpart. “What’s the mouse hole?”

“Just something I developed that can cut through just about anything. It should get you in and out of the sewer without any problems.”

Emily frowns. “But once we’re there, what will we do then? We’ll be miles away from the nearest town.”

“Even back when your mom and I were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, all vehicles had trackers in them. I assume that’s still the case,” Phil says.

“We know how to disable it,” Jake says. “Skye taught us. We’ve had to steal a S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle before.”

“Maybe when we escape, we can meet up with Skye again,” Steve says. “She’s in the Rising Tide.”

“She traveled with us for a while,” Emily says. “They were looking for three siblings, a girl and two boys, so we pretended that Skye was our older sister, and Steve was her son. She taught us how to hack, and we taught her how to fight.”

“You kids are so clever,” Phil says proudly. “I’m glad all of those lessons paid off. I told Agent that S.H.I.E.L.D. would never catch you.”

“We can also give you weapons,” Coulson says, “to help you when you get out.”

“We have Dad’s gun,” Jake says, “but it’s running low on bullets.”

“We’ll get you equipped before you leave,” Coulson says. “You should all rest. It will be a while before the other FitzSimmons are able to contact us again. When they do, we’ll make the final arrangements for when to send you back.”

“Thank you,” Phil says. “You’ve done a lot for us. We really appreciate it.”

Coulson gives him an uncomfortable smile, then leaves quickly. Skye watches him go, then turns to where May had been standing silently and realizes that she has slipped away too. She sighs.

*****

When Skye goes up to Coulson’s office, he is so engrossed in paperwork that he does not notice her standing there. She knocks lightly on the door and says, “Can I come in?”

He looks up and nods.

“Weird few days, huh?” Skye says. “I mean, there are alterna-versions of all of us downstairs, except for me and Ward, plus you and May’s alterna-kids.” She pauses, but his face is expressionless. “I kind of thought you’d be down there talking to them. If there was an alternate version of me, I’d have a million questions for myself.”

“Mr. Coulson and I might have had similar pasts,” he says stiffly, “but we chose different paths.”

“Aren’t you curious how that happened? You said you and May were involved once.”

He debates how much to tell her. “We started having an affair when we were working on an MCU together,” he says, “but we ended it when it got in the way of doing our jobs.”

“But your other selves didn’t. They left S.H.I.E.L.D. together and got married.” He stares blankly at her, and she sighs. Before she leaves though, she says, “If you’re not going to talk to Mr. Coulson, maybe you should talk to May. This has got to be weird for both of you, and she’s the only other person who’ll really understand what you’re going through.”

He gives her a small smile. “I’m fine, Skye.”

She nods and leaves. When she looks back over her shoulder, he is already engrossed in paperwork again.


	8. Chapter 8

They expect to hear from the other FitzSimmons within a day of Mrs. Coulson’s arrival, but after two days they still have not had any contact with the other universe. They are starting to wonder if the other FitzSimmons have been arrested when the other Simmons appears in the lab.

“I’m sorry it’s taken so long for me to open the portal again,” she says. “After Agent Ward was shot and Mrs. Coulson escaped, security is tighter than ever. Because the surveillance equipment was knocked out by the portal, Director Hand has ordered guards in the lab at all time. She’s convinced that your universe is beginning an invasion of ours.”

“That’s terrible,” Skye says. “Does she suspect that you and Fitz are involved?”

The other Simmons looks worried, but she shakes her head. “Not yet, but she’s more determined than ever to learn to control the portal. We only have a few more days before she turns the project over to another team of S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists.”

“What are you going to do?” Coulson asks.

“Fitz and I have decided to destroy the portal rather than let it be used to raid other universes. But we wanted to talk with you all before we did anything.” She glances at the Coulson family. “Now that Mr. and Mrs. Coulson are freed and re-united with their children, I assume that they will be settling here in this universe, where S.H.I.E.L.D. won’t be looking for them.”

Phil shakes his head. “Actually we’ve discussed it as a family, and we want to go back. We don’t belong here. We belong in our own universe.”

The other Simmons looks surprised. “But the portal will only deposit you back in the lab at the Fridge, and no one has ever managed to escape the Fridge.”

“We’ll be the first,” Steve says proudly.

“We’ve come up with a plan for them to escape,” Skye says. “We’ll make sure they have everything they need to break out. All we need is for you to open the portal one last time.”

“But the lab is under constant guard now.”

“How many guards?” Melinda asks.

“Four at all times, with more on standby. We had to simulate a radiation leak to convince them to step out long enough for me to cross over this time.”

Melinda and Phil share a look. “We’ll be able to handle that,” Phil says. “Once we’ve taken them out, we’ll use a substance that this Fitz gave us that can cut through almost anything to get down into the sewer system.”

“Oh, the mouse hole. That should work perfectly,” the other Simmons says.

Simmons looks at her counterpart. “But this will only work if you and Fitz are able to open the portal one last time, preferably when the guards are distracted.”

The other Simmons nods. “We’ll figure something out and open it tomorrow morning before we destroy the portal.”

“Thank you for everything you and Fitz have done,” Phil says. “I know how much you’ve risked to help us.”

“Without it, Phil and I would still be prisoners,” Melinda says.

“We had to do the right thing,” the other Simmons says. “Have you given any thought to what you’ll do once you’re free?”

“Whatever we can to protect people from what we’ve gone through,” Phil says, “and make sure that the kids are safe.”

“What about you and Fitz?” Emily asks. “Are you guys going to be safe at the Fridge?”

“You can join the Rising Tide,” Jake says. “They’re always looking for smart people who are willing to do what it takes for justice.”

“Thank you for the suggestion, but I’m not sure what our next move will be. It would be difficult for us to go off the grid because as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, we’re already under close monitoring. As long as we can destroy the portal tomorrow, we should be safe.”

The other Simmons’ watch pings, and she glances at it. “Fitz will be opening the portal shortly. I’ll let him know what we discussed, but I know he’ll agree that we need to see this through.”

After she leaves, Simmons sighs. “That doesn’t give us much time. I hope you both are stabilized from your ordeal by then.”

“I feel fine,” Phil says.

“Me too,” Melinda says.

Simmons peers at her computer screen on which she has displayed Mr. and Mrs. Coulson’s bloodwork and vital signs. “Well the nutritional supplements seem to be helping with the malnutrition. Mrs. Coulson’s rhabdomyolysis has resolved, and her kidney function is nearly back to normal. However, Mr. Coulson’s heart rate is still rapid and irregular at times.”

Melinda frowns, but Phil does not look concerned. He smiles at his wife. “My heart can’t help but skip a beat when I’m around my beautiful wife.”

Simmons tsks. “This is serious. It’s too fast for a man your age.”

Phil looks hurt. “You make it sound like I’m old.”

Melinda pats his arm. “You’re not old, dear.”

“Yeah Dad,” Steve says, “and you can kick any of the other dads’ butts.”

“Thanks Steve,” he says. To Simmons he says, “We’re running out of time. Tomorrow is our last chance to go through the portal, and I’m not going to let my heart stand between us and going back where we belong.”

Melinda looks worried and squeezes his arm. “Please take it easy. I can handle the guards tomorrow.”

“I’m not an invalid,” Phil protests, but unfortunately Simmons’ computer alarms as his heart rate rises. He tries to steady himself against the wall to keep from falling and takes several large breaths.

Steve looks horrified and rushes over to him. “Dad! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Steve,” Phil says weakly, but no one believes him. He sinks onto the floor and puts his head between his knees. Simmons injects him with a medication that quickly lowers his heart rate until it is only a little faster than normal.

Melinda looks to Simmons. “He can’t go back there like this. Is there anything you can give him to stop his heart rate from jumping up like that?”

“I’ll give him another 24 hours of IV amiodarone today. It’s an antiarrhythmic that stabilizes the heart. The half-life is quite long, so it will linger in his body and protect him from these arrhythmias for several weeks.”

Ward and Coulson help Phil back to the medical pod followed closely by Simmons. The children look worried. “Is Dad going to be able to leave tomorrow?” Emily asks.

“If he’s not, then we’ll have to stay here. We’re not breaking up the family again, and it’s not fair to the scientists to keep risking their lives for us,” Melinda says.

“Simmons will be able to help him. She’ll make sure he’s as stable as possible,” Skye says.

Steve looks wary. “Maybe Dad wants some company.”

“We need to let Dr. Simmons do her job,” Melinda says. “She’ll take care of your father. We need to focus on everything else to make sure we’re ready for tomorrow.”

“We are ready. We know the plan, and Fitz gave us the mouse hole and some more bullets for Dad’s gun,” Jake says.

“We’ll need more than that if we’re going to survive in the wilderness, but it depends on what the team can spare,” Melinda says.

“Of course,” Skye says. Ward and Coulson are still helping Mr. Coulson down to the medical pod, and May is presumably in the cockpit, but she is sure that the more senior agents would not object to her offering them more supplies. “Take whatever you need.”

“We’ll need food, water, warm clothes, additional weapons. Do you have any survival kits?” Melinda asks.

“There are some in storage,” Fitz says. “We can spare a couple.”

“Let’s bring whatever we think will be useful up here and decide what we need to bring. We don’t want to have so much equipment that it slows us down, but we have to be prepared for anything.”

“There’s a safe house we were using,” Emily says. “It’s only a few day’s drive from the Fridge.”

“We’ll try to go back there, but we need to be ready in case we lose our transportation and have to walk, or if it’s been compromised.”

Emily gives her mother a hug. “I’m glad you’re back, Mom. It was so hard without you and Dad.”

Melinda hugs her daughter tightly. “I’m not going to let that happen again.”

*****

When the team wakes up the next morning, they are surprised by delicious smells coming from the galley.

“Something smells delicious. Did someone make pancakes?” Simmons says as she steps out of her bunk.

“Yeah, and is there enough for everyone?” Fitz asks meeting her in the hallway.

In the kitchen they find Melinda standing over the griddle flipping pancakes while Phil arranges them on a plate and sets out syrup and butter.

“Good morning,” Phil says. “Hungry? Melinda and I wanted to do something nice for everyone to say thanks for everything you’ve done for us.”

“Of course. We’re happy to help. You didn’t have to make us breakfast,” Simmons says.

“But we’re glad you did. It smells amazing. Are those blueberries?” Fitz asks.

“Some are blueberry, some are chocolate chip, and some are plain. I wasn’t sure what everyone liked,” Melinda says.

The three Coulson children enter the kitchen. They look delighted to see the cooking. “Mom, you made pancakes?” Emily asks.

“Did Dad help?” Jake asks suspiciously.

“Only with things not related to cooking,” Phil assures his son. “The pancakes are safe to eat.”

“Are you feeling better Dad?” Steve asks as he piles his plate high with pancakes.

“Much better,” Phil says.

Melinda and the children all look at Simmons for confirmation. She nods and finishes chewing. “Since I gave him the additional dose of amiodarone he hasn’t had any further arrhythmias, and both of your blood work this morning shows that your vitamin stores have been repleted. It will be a while before you are back to your full strength, but I’ve treated the worst of your malnutrition.”

“Good,” Steve says. He digs into his pancakes. “These are really good, Mom.” Emily and Jake chime in their agreement.

“I’m glad you like them. I thought a nice breakfast would raise everyone’s spirits and give us energy for today.”

“Yeah, so we can escape the Fridge and take down S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Jake says.

“Today we’ll focus on the first part,” Phil says. “We can work on the second part tomorrow.”

“Wow, pancakes,” Skye says when she comes into the galley. “Who made these?”

“Mom did. She’s a great cook,” Steve says.

“Well, thanks. They smell great.” She helps herself to some pancakes before joining them in the lounge. “Do you know if Coulson and May have gotten any yet?”

“I haven’t seen them,” Ward says. “I think Coulson’s in his office, and May’s in the cockpit.”

“We should probably bring them some pancakes before they’re all gone,” Skye says giving Fitz a look as he reaches for another helping. He withdraws his fork guiltily.

Skye puts a few of each kind on two plates and eyes her teammates. “I’ll take a plate to Coulson. Who wants to take one to May?”

No one speaks up right away, and the silence makes Melinda even more curious about her counterpart. “I’ll do it,” she says. Agent May has been avoiding her, and Melinda does not want to return to her own universe without having a chance to talk to her.

*****

May is surprised when she hears the cockpit door open. Usually the only person who interrupts her there is Coulson, and after the events of the past few days, they have both been giving each other a wide berth.

Her own voice asks, “Agent May?”

May does not have to look to know that Melinda is standing behind her.

“I brought you some pancakes. I also want to thank you for everything you did for my children.”

May stares at the pancakes but takes the plate and sets it on the copilot seat. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You made them dinner, and gave them some pointers when they were sparring. Those things meant a lot to them, especially Steve.”

She does not know what to say. It has been difficult seeing the children that, in another life, could be hers with the man she once loved. Part of her wishes that she had people who look at her with such love and adoration, people who see her as a loving mother instead of a cold-hearted soldier. “They’re great kids.”

Melinda smiles. “Thanks. Sometimes they can be a handful, but they’re sweet, like their father. Steve especially reminds me of Phil.” May still does not react or even look at Melinda, but she continues talking. “Actually, Steve told me that he’s worried about you. He thinks you’re sad.”

Her mind immediately flashes to Bahrain. “Being a specialist is isolating.”

“I remember, but I also remember finding comfort in my colleagues, in Phil. Even if I couldn’t tell him about every assignment, I knew that he understood.”

May shakes her head and says sadly, “It’s been a long time since that was true. A lot has happened since we were involved.”

Melinda smiles. “And yet here you both are, on an MCU together, watching each other’s backs.”

It is a nice sentiment, but since Coulson’s death, even that has become overshadowed by the frightening implications behind Fury’s orders. “Our relationship isn’t like that anymore. I’m just doing my job.”

“I see the way you look at him. It’s always been more than just a job with Phil.”

May wonders if it is worth lying to her other self. “I care a lot about him,” she admits.

“And he cares a lot about you.”

“We both made the choice a long time ago to put our careers ahead of our feelings for each other.”

“Even so, there’s a reason he wanted you here, by his side like the old days.” May does not respond, and this time Melinda does not push any further. “Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for taking care of my kids before we go.” She gets up to leave.

“Thanks for the pancakes,” May says. “The plan to break out of the Fridge is risky, but you have a good team.”

Melinda smiles. “So do you. Take care of yourself.”

*****

Before they leave, the team and the Coulsons split into groups to finish getting all of the supplies together. FitzSimmons and Emily stock up on medicine, while Skye, Steve, Jake, and Melinda pack survival equipment and food into backpacks. Coulson and Phil take care of getting everyone equipped with tactical gear and weapons.

“Are there enough ICERs for the kids?” Phil asks. “I don’t want them to have to use a real gun.”

Coulson nods. “We just got a shipment from S.H.I.E.L.D. We can give you some extra cartridges too.”

“Thanks.” Phil hefts the ICER in his hand. “With all of this, I think we’ve got a real shot of getting out.”

Coulson nods. He is having a hard time focusing on the task at hand. This is the first time he has been alone with his counterpart, and although he is not sure this is the right time for a personal conversation, Skye’s words keep bouncing around in his head. Finally he clears his throat and says, “I heard you tell your children about you and your wife’s past. It happened exactly the same way for May and me. But we didn’t leave S.H.I.E.L.D. together. I never even considered leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. to marry her.”

He expects Phil to look at him disapprovingly, or perhaps angrily, but instead Phil just looks thoughtful. “What we told them isn’t the whole story,” he says. “There was a mission that went badly. We were doing surveillance on a Hydra research facility, and I was injured. Melinda came back to rescue me, but we were both captured. We were held for three days before S.H.I.E.L.D. was able to send an extraction team to rescue us. Afterwards, we were going to be demoted and reassigned because our relationship had endangered the mission, so we decided to leave together and start a new life.”

He is not sure why, but hearing this less romantic version of events makes him feel better. He remembers how much he had cared about May back then, how much he still cares for her, but there is always a line that he does not dare cross. He had thought May felt the same way, but seeing the Coulsons makes him wonder if that is true.

“I don’t want it to sound like we had to leave,” Phil adds. “I’m happy with the way things turned out. I love Melinda and our children. But I never considered leaving until after that happened. Before, I was happy with the way things were. That incident made me realize that being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent wasn’t worth giving up Melinda.” He looks curiously at his counterpart. “Did any of that happen in your universe?”

Coulson shakes his head. “Eventually I got promoted and started planning ops out of the Hub,” he says. “We kept seeing each other for a while, but that made it difficult to send her on dangerous ops. We decided to end our relationship before it became a problem.”

Phil looks sympathetic. “I remember that even on the MCU, it was hard to send her into the field. I always worried about her, although then it was a little easier because we were usually out there together.” Phil pauses and then asks, “Did something happen to her in this universe? She’s so different.”

Coulson wonders how much to say. It is startling to realize that in the other universe, Melinda never had to experience the trauma of Bahrain. “May and I were assigned to an op that went badly. She went in single-handedly to to rescue the hostages. But something happened there. She’s never told me what it was, but afterwards she was different. She even left the field for a while and transferred to administration.”

Phil looks sad. “But now that she’s back in the field with you, you can take care of her.”

That had been the reason Coulson brought her onto the team in the first place, but he wonders how successful he has been. “I want to, but I’m afraid it’s too late. We don’t have the kind of relationship we once did.”

“It’s not too late. Melinda is very strong, but she needs you. I can’t imagine a universe where that isn’t true.”

Coulson smiles to himself. It is true that despite the different choices they have made and all of the differences in their universes, both of their lives have remained entwined with Melinda May.

“I wish there were more we could do for you.” Coulson has considered sending May and Ward to help the Coulsons escape, but he worries that they would end up prisoners in the alternate universe.

As if he can read his mind, Phil says, “This is enough. You can’t risk your team getting stranded in our universe. Plus, if S.H.I.E.L.D. thinks that your universe is staging an invasion of ours, we could start a war between them.”

Coulson knows that his own S.H.I.E.L.D. will also worry about this possibility. “Once S.H.I.E.L.D. reads my report, they’ll probably start trying to replicate the technology. A conflict may be inevitable, but for now we have to do everything we can to prevent it.”

Phil packs up the last of the ICER cartridges. “You’ve done a lot for us. Without your team, Melinda and I would still be locked up, and our kids would probably be in the Fridge with us. You're worried about my family, but that's my job. You need to put about your team first, keep them safe. Melinda and I will take care of our family."

*****

The entire team is crowded in the lab when the portal opens for the last time. 

“Now remember,” Phil says, “when we cross through, the three of you need to find cover right away. Your mom and I will take care of the guards, but if you have a clear shot, use the ICER. Once we’re on our way, I’ll take the lead, and your mom will cover the rear. Stick together, and we’ll get out okay.”

Skye looks sad to see them go. “Are you sure you want to do this? We can still take you someplace here where you’d be safe.”

Phil shakes his head. “We have to do this. It’s the right thing to do. Someone has to stand up against S.H.I.E.L.D. and protect people from what they’re doing.”

Jake and Steve look proudly at their Dad. Emily looks proud as well, but also worried. Phil pats her shoulder. “It’s going to be tough, but I have faith in what we can accomplish together. You kids are amazing, and now that we’re back together, we can all look out for each other.”

“Good luck out there,” Coulson says.

“You too. Thanks for all your help,” Phil says. He look at Melinda and smiles at her. “Ready?” She nods, and he plunges through the portal, followed closely by his children and Melinda. A second later, the portal crackles and disappears.

*****

It is late and the Bus is quiet when Coulson finally leaves his office and goes down to the cockpit. He hesitates in the doorway. “Mind if I join you?”

She does not answer right away, but finally she says, “Go ahead.”

He sits down in the seat next to her. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” he says. “About them. About us back then.” He pauses, unsure how to say it. “Seeing them, the choice they made… Did you ever feel that way?”

She keeps her eyes focused on the stars in front of them. “It was a long time ago.”

“I know. Still, I can’t stop thinking about it.” He hesitates, unsure of whether he should continue. “I think maybe I could have. If I had let myself.”

She turns to look at him. Her eyes are sad, but her voice is firm when she says, “That’s in the past, Phil. This is where we are now.”

“Back on an MCU together.” He smiles at her fondly, and she gives him a small smile in return. They sit in silence for a while. Finally he says, “Do you think they made it out of the Fridge?”

“Do you?”

“Two civilians and three teenagers trying to break out of the Fridge…” He shakes his head. “Probably not. And even if they do, where are they going to go? S.H.I.E.L.D. will never stop hunting them.”

He looks over at May. She looks thoughtful and sad, but then the corner of her mouth turns up slightly.

“I wouldn’t count them out,” she says. “We’ve been in tough situations together in the past, and we always made it out.”

He smiles at her. “True. You’ve saved my life more than a few times.”

She gives him a small smile in return. “I was just doing my job.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this story, and thanks for sticking through until the end. This story was inspired by the mirror universe episodes from Star Trek and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Like those episodes, we wanted to leave our characters unsure as to just how much of an impact they had on their alternate selves since the story is told from the POV of our universe getting a brief glimpse at theirs. But we can tell you that the Coulsons make it out of the Fridge alive. We have some ideas for a sequel, but we have to wait until the finale airs to formalize them since we need to know how things end with the team, Ward, and the Bus.


End file.
